Author

I came to write That Darkness because I was writing another book and then stopped and wrote this one. Then I went back and wrote the other one. I never said I was efficient. I had been writing along in the Theresa MacLean series, in which Theresa is a single fortyish mother and forensic scientist …Read More

I have an artistic friend who once said something very, very interesting to me. He said all books have spirits. Most of the time, I can understand such a concept in a very animist way. Sure, the rocks, the trees, the plans, raccoons, all have souls and are connected. Yoda me, baby. It’s the Force. …Read More

Even though I haven’t been getting reviews posted, I’ve read several really good books lately. I decided it was time to get caught up! Then I can buy more books with a clear conscience. At the moment, I’m reading Laura DiSilverio’s new novel, Incubation, the first book in a YA dystopian trilogy. I’m enjoying so …Read More

I’ll be at the Northern Colorado Writers Conference tomorrow and Saturday. I love writers’ conferences and mystery fan conventions and wish I could attend them all. This year I’m sticking to the NCW conference this week and the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold Conference in September (registration for this one opens soon). Cats and …Read More

I’ve always been attracted to the amateur protagonist, at least partly because I was very impressed at a young age with Travis McGee, John D. McDonald’s creation, who solved crimes and helped victims without having any sort of legal or official standing. The first entry in my Elder Darrow series is called Solo Act. When …Read More

A common question people ask authors is “Where do your ideas come from?” Because I write two different series, sometimes the idea for the next book is right there waiting to be written, but not always. When it was time to come up with the 12th book in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series, I had …Read More

For me as a writer, inspiration sometimes jumps out of the bushes and whacks me on the head. Other times it’s a little more stealthy. For example, once a man I’d seen walking on the street hung around in my brain until he became a character and then had a story form around him. My …Read More

Just take a look at the cover art and blurbs for Shannon Baker’s new mystery, Stripped Bare, coming in September (but available now for pre-order): With Stripped Bare, Shannon Baker has penned a compulsive, white-knuckle read peppered with interesting characters, a stunning setting, and a mystery that will keep you turning the pages late …Read More

My California Zephyr series, which includes Death Rides the Zephyr and the upcoming Death Deals a Hand, takes place on a train. And what a train it was. The old California Zephyr (not the current Amtrak version) was a streamliner, a luxurious train that traveled between the San Francisco Bay Area to Chicago. It began …Read More

There’s a lot of this kind of thing going on. Katie Cat continues to sneak around the house, looking for chances to get closer to Sassy without Sassy seeing her. When the dog was asleep in her bed in the living room a couple of days ago, Katie tiptoed in and got close enough to …Read More

Meet Patricia

I read, I write, I blog, and sometimes I do the laundry and cook. My 2014 novel, Dead Wrong, was a finalist in the thriller category of the 2015 Colorado Book Awards. Wishing Caswell Dead (Five Star/Cengage, December 20, 2017) is a historical mystery set in 1830s Illinois in the fictitious Village of Sangamon. Read More…